Seeing A Whole New World
by shiki94
Summary: *Tie-in to Chapter 20 of Running With The Pack* After the night when she first found that her new family wasn't what they at first appeared to be, Alex Hardy finds herself struggling with warring feelings towards everyone. That all changes one afternoon after she sees something that sends her down a path of discoveries. Rated T for language and mentions of violence & blood.
1. Chapter 1

**A new shiki94 fic time already? ...Well, not exactly. To people that have been following along with my fic that's currently in progress, Running With The Pack, they'll know that Chapter 20 of the fic was pretty much a backstory chapter for my OC Alex Hardy in that fic. And, I was thinking after I read the chapter over (...and over and over and over again...) that maybe I didn't end the chapter in the most laid-out/explanatory way possible. So, that's the purpose of this little addition. Basically this is more of Alex after the night she got hurt by Cody when Cody first turned into his wolf form. I hope you guys enjoy it. =)**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the wrestlers used in this fic. They are the property of themselves, WWE, TNA, and the various other promotions they belong to. I only own the ideas going into this fic and my OC, Alex Hardy.**

It was still such a huge surprise to Alex that the people she now called her family were so...different from other people. After all, not everyone could say that they've seen one of their surrogate family members turn into a wolf...and was hurt by said family member in their wolf form. While it was still a lot of information for Alex's 13-year-old brain to process, she had more-or-less come to deal with it all in her own way; and this way...was to try ignore it. No matter how often she'd see the guys in the house leave in their groups "going to work", no matter how much growling and howling she'd hear coming from the woods, no matter how often she'd see some of the guys come in with really bad injuries, largely ranging from bruises to harsh cuts, she'd just ignore it all. _'It's the only thing I can do to keep my head here, among these...these_ wolves _,'_ Alex thought.

Sitting outside on the porch one cool October day as she took a bite from one of the cinnamon rolls she had snagged from the many dozens she helped Trish make earlier in the day, Alex looked out at the yard and surrounding wooded area that hid their house from the outside world. Swallowing the bite of cinnamon roll she had been chewing, Alex couldn't help but wonder what else seemed to lie out there. What lurked in the trees? What was out there that the guys were taking down every day? ...And why did it seem like stuff Alex had a feeling she _had to know_? Laying the rest of her snack on the table next to the chair she was sitting on, Alex got up and walked down the porch steps and into the yard where she walked to the main path that led from the house to the city. Taking a look back at the house, Alex thought _'They won't notice I'm gone for a few minutes. It's not like I'm trying to run away again or anything.'_ Returning her gaze to the path ahead, Alex took a breath in and let it out before taking her first steps down the path.

As Alex began her walk, she didn't really know what to expect at first; so, to find that there wasn't really anything to worry about was feeling like a major relief to the teenage brunette. _'This isn't...so bad. But...I don't know why…but, I just_ know _that the rest of this walk won't be as calm as it is now,'_ Alex thought as she continued to walk down the dirt path. Looking around herself, Alex took in the towering trees of different types, the cool shade that the many leaf canopies provided, the leaves that were falling from a few of the trees, and the overall tranquility that seemed to permeate the area.

It wasn't until Alex had gotten part of the way down the path did she hear it.

To her left, Alex heard what sounded like heavy breathing followed by a low, yet somehow loud, hiss. The next thing the teenager knew, she saw a panting Cody standing near what looked to be a large whitish snake. At first Alex wasn't sure what to make of the scene before her; after all, she had never seen a snake _that huge_ before, so she was thinking maybe Cody had killed it to keep it from getting near the house. But, upon taking a closer look at the scene before her, Alex realized that something _much bigger_ had just happened: Looking at Cody, Alex could see that Cody was covered in wet and drying blood, his teeth were sharp points, his fingernails were of an impressive length, and his eyes...his eyes that were normally so blue and soft and kind were a harsh and glowing yellow. Alex couldn't say that she had ever remembered any of the guys looking like _this_ before. If anything, it scared Alex more than when she first saw Cody turn into a wolf…and that's not even counting what happened shortly afterwards when he had clawed her across the face. Trying to stop the trembles that seemed to sweep through her body, Alex slowly backed away from the scene before her before she inadvertently stumbled over a large section of tree root that was in the path. Falling back and landing on her butt, Alex hissed out a quick _"Dang it!"_ as she felt rocks and a couple of twigs dig into her hand.

Cody had been so intently focused on the monster that he had just killed that hearing scuffling and muttering to his left made his senses go on even higher alert than they already were. His gaze quickly snapping to the left, Cody saw Alex on the ground, pulling twigs and rocks out of the palm of her left hand. His senses calming down upon seeing Alex, Cody stepped away from the remaining husk of the beast he had killed and headed over to where Alex was. "Alex? What are you doing out here? Are you okay?"

Hearing Cody's voice and his footsteps approaching her, Alex tensed up a bit before looking up at the blood-covered 16-year-old standing before her. While she was relieved that Cody wasn't the beastly version of himself that she just saw, there was still the matter of the fact that Cody was _covered in both dry and wet blood!_ Curling into a ball as she held her hurt hand close to herself, Alex shook and said "Whatever you're going to do to me…just make it quick."

"Whatever I'm going to do to you? Alex, what are you talking about?" Cody asked, feeling confused by being asked this by the younger brunette.

"I…I saw you…standing near whatever the hell that snake thing was. I'm guessing you killed it, so…just don't do that to me! … _Please?_ " Alex said, her voice raised before lowering in nervous fear.

Hearing Alex say this surprised Cody-and not in a good way. The fact that the youngest and newest member of the pack house family was showing so much fear in the face of what made up their world, it just didn't make any sense to the brunette wolf. Unless...unless... Kneeling down so that he was at Alex's level, Cody asked "Alex? Do you...not know about what me and the other guys here really are? And what we do?"

"Well, I've kinda been able to piece it together that most, if not all, of you guys can turn into wolves. As if that wasn't a bit obvious," Alex said, raising her head and pointing at the bandages that wound across her face.

Biting his lip as he looked down a bit upon seeing the bandages on Alex's face, Cody said "I'm sorry about that. Really, I am."

"I know, Cody. It wasn't your fault. From what some of the others have told me, apparently you were just trying to save me from Jeff because you thought he was gonna hurt me. It's no big deal," Alex said, waving off yet another apology from the brunette wolf. Continuing on with how she was rationalizing things out, Alex said "As for what you guys do...I honestly don't have a clue. I haven't really gotten that talk from Matt or Jeff or Trish or anyone else yet."

Before Cody could offer up an explanation, the sounds of Alex's name being called along with running footsteps coming their way caught his attention. Turning in the direction of Alex's name being called, the two brunettes soon saw Jeff and Gilbert heading in their direction.

As soon as Jeff and Gilbert reached Alex and Cody, Gilbert began to admonish Alex for leaving without letting anyone know she was going for a walk "Alexis. Do you have any idea how worried we all were when we saw that you weren't on the porch?" as Jeff checked his adoptive younger sister to make sure that she was fine.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to make you guys get worried about me," Alex said, scratching the back of her head. "I just...I just wanted to go for a bit of a walk. That's all. I didn't think I'd worry you guys _that much_ by me taking a walk."

"Alex, sweetheart, it's not so much we were worried about you going for a walk. It's just the fact that you didn't tell any of us before you walked off," Jeff said, trying to reason with the younger brunette. "It's not really safe around here. You could've gotten hurt by something."

"Hurt by something? Like what? Other wolves besides you guys? Or giant snakes? Or some other weird thing that you guys haven't told me about yet?" Alex asked, scowling a bit.

"Giant snakes? When did you see a giant snake?" Jeff asked, surprised to hear Alex say this.

"When I was first walking down the path. I only made it to right here before I heard something. I turn to look at it and next thing I know, I'm seeing Cody looking like a bloody Wolverine standing near a giant snake...and it wasn't a normal snake," Alex said. Seeing the looks of surprise shared by Jeff and Gilbert, Alex thought _'_ Please _don't tell this means that I'm going to be kept in the dark about something else now.'_

Managing to find his voice, Gilbert then said "Alexis. Come back to the house _now_."

"Yeah, Alex. We'll talk with you about what you saw there," Jeff said.

"What? Why?! Why at the house? Why can't you guys tell me here?!" Alex asked, a bit of a whine starting to color her voice.

"It'll just be easier for us there," Jeff said, trying to reason with the temperamental teen. "Just...come back home with us."

"No, I don't want to!" Alex shouted in frustration. Looking up to Jeff and Gilbert as angry tears began to roll down her cheeks, Alex said "Jeff, Daddy, _please_. I really hate that it seems like you guys are keeping stuff hidden from me. It makes me so angry that I don't understand anything about you all or what it is that the guys do...or even what it was that I just saw. Please stop keeping this stuff a secret from me. Just... _just tell me, damn it!_ "

Hearing this tearful plea from Alex was making Jeff and Cody's hearts hurt. While both guys wanted to tell Alex about what their world really was, they couldn't in fear of making Alex terrified of what all existed. With neither man saying a word, Cody just bit his lip and looked away while Jeff took a deep breath and let it out before saying "I'm sorry about this, Alex." Seeing Alex look up at him with tears running down her face and getting soaked up by her bandages, Jeff closed his eyes before reopening them to show that his eyes had changed from their normal green to wolf yellow. Keeping the gaze of the now surprised Alex held, Jeff stared into his sister's eyes before she fell forward into his waiting arms. Picking a now unconscious Alex up and holding her bridal style, Jeff said "I'm so sorry for this, Alexis" before planting a kiss on his sister's forehead.

Seeing Jeff do this surprised Cody...largely because he didn't know what exactly it was that Jeff just did. Stepping forward as he felt his teeth grow and his claws come out, Cody growled out "What the hell did you just do, Jeff?!"

Stepping in between the younger brunette and his rainbow-haired son, Gilbert said "Relax, Cody. Alex isn't hurt. She'll just be asleep for a bit."

"That still doesn't explain what Jeff did," Cody said, a bit of a growl still apparent in his voice.

"It's one of the abilities that us wolves have," Gilbert said, explaining this to the young wolf. "Whether we're in our wolf form or our human form, we have the ability to compel people. Basically what that is is that we can somewhat hypnotize people, depending on what we want to do."

"So, what Jeff just did...he put Alex to sleep?" Cody asked, now having calmed down.

"Yes. Don't worry, Cody. Alex will just wake up at home, completely fine," Gilbert said, sending a reassuring look the younger wolf's way.

"Yeah, she'll be fine, but I don't think she'll be any happier about what happened," Cody said.

"We'll deal with that later," Gilbert said. "For now, just go back on watch for a few more minutes. Jeff and I are going back home so that we can lay Alex down."

"OK," Cody said, nodding his head. Watching as the two Hardy men with Jeff carrying the still-sleeping Alex headed back to the house, Cody stood as a million thoughts flew through his head. _'Alex could see part of the real me_ and _the Serperi I killed? And now I'm learning that us wolves can hypnotize people? These are just more signs that Alex_ needs _to know about all of this. Because, if_ I _don't really know much about our world, how does everyone expect Alex to be comfortable around us?'_ Turning and heading back into the woods, Cody shifted into his wolf form as he took off at a run in search of something to take his frustrations out on.

...

Lying on her bed in her room, Alex still couldn't believe it. The fact that Jeff had done something to her that made her fall asleep was bad enough; but now that she was back at home, she _still_ hadn't gotten an explanation from anyone about what she had seen earlier in the day or even what it was that Jeff did. Even after asking, she got pretty much the same answer from everyone: "We'll tell you in a bit, Alex. Just wait." The incessant waiting was beginning to drive her crazy because she had so many questions that had been going unanswered. _'Why, why,_ why _?! Why the hell is everyone being so secretive with me?! I'm_ 13 _years old! I feel like I'm old enough to understand this stuff. ...Is is because everyone thinks I'm still too fragile to really understand everything...or do they just have no intent of telling me?'_ Alex thought, frustrated tears starting to burn her eyes. Tired of waiting around, Alex got up from her bed and headed over to her bedroom door. If she wasn't going to get answers by waiting, then she'd seek the answers out herself. Pulling open her bedroom door, Alex was surprised to see Cody standing outside her bedroom, his hand raised as if he was about to knock on the door. Blinking around her surprise, Alex asked "Cody? What are you doing here?"

"I...I was actually about to come see you. I...wanted to talk with you about some stuff," Cody said.

"You wanted to talk with...with _me_?" Alex asked, surprised to hear this from Cody. "About what?"

"Well...it's about what happened earlier today," Cody said. Hearing Alex snort and seeing her roll her eyes upon him mentioning that, Cody said "Hear me out for a minute. I'm actually on your side. It's not fair to you that you're being kept so in the dark about what happens here, me and the guys here and what we are, and what our world really is. And...I want you to know about all of it."

Cutting an uncertain glance Cody's way, Alex asked "How do I know you're being truthful about this? How do I know that this isn't something that Jeff or Matt or my dad put you up to?"

"Because I'm just as clueless about a lot of this stuff too," Cody said. Getting a look of disbelief from Alex, Cody said "What Jeff did to you earlier...I honestly had no idea us wolves could do that. And the creatures that we take down and kill, I'm still pretty in the dark about a lot of them. I just know that we have to kill them before they hurt people in the city and stuff. Other than that, I'm still pretty clueless about a lot of the other stuff just like you are."

Taking in everything Cody just said, Alex said "...So. I guess this means...there's two clueless people in this house. What do we do about this?"

Cautiously and tentatively holding his hand out, Cody, with a bit of a shy lisp coloring his voice, said "Maybe...maybe we can be clueless and learn about this stuff together."

Hearing all of this come from Cody was a major surprise to the young brunette. The whole time Alex had lived with Matt, Jeff, Gilbert, and the others, she had never gotten something in the way of one of the guys wanting to be close like _this_ to her, especially now that there was so much more that she had to learn and know about if she wanted to live among and be a part of her new family. To hear that there was a member of her new family that felt just as clueless about what their world held felt like one of the hugest comforts Alex had gotten in a very long time next to the night that she was first taken in by the Hardy men. So, instead of taking hold of Cody's hand, Alex stepped past it and instead wrapped her arms around Cody and gave the older teen a tight hug as she rested her head on his chest.

Alex hugging him was definitely a surprise to the older teen; one that he didn't so much mind getting because, secretly, he had a few slight feelings for the younger teen; but, thankfully, he had managed to keep his feelings secret from the object of his affection. Slowly bringing his arms up, Cody wrapped them around Alex in a hug of his own as he held Alex close to him.

...

"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep suppressing Alex's Sight," a dark-skinned man said as he sat with Gilbert in the front sitting room of the house. "If what you told me is true, then it must mean that she's becoming resistant to the spell that I use to keep her Sight inhibited."

"Isn't there something else you can do to keep her Sight suppressed, Shango?" Gilbert asked the other man.

"To my knowledge, there isn't anything else I can do outside of taking away her ability to see the supernatural entirely," the other man, Shango, said.

"That's not an option I can abide with, Shango. Alexis's parents wouldn't want her to be completely cut off from the world they were a part of and I don't want that for her, either," Gilbert said, firm conviction about this apparent in his voice. Taking off his glasses as he ran a hand down his face, Gilbert asked "What do you suggest I do about this?"

Looking over to the brunette wolf, Shango said "Tell Alex about the world that she is truly a part of. She may not be a true supernatural being like we are, but her ability to see the supernatural, just like what Trish and the other women here have, that helps show that she belongs in our world."

"I...I suppose you're right," Gilbert said, realizing that maybe what Shango was getting at was what he should do. "I just hope Alex will be able to understand all of this."

"Understand all of what, Dad?" Alex asked from the entryway of the sitting room. Seeing her dad sitting with someone else, Alex almost asked who her dad was talking with until she recognized the other man in the room. "Mr. Wright? What are you doing here?"

"Alex, you know this guy?" Cody asked from Alex's side.

"Yeah. He's the guy that I go see every two weeks. Dad, how you know Mr. Wright?" Alex asked.

"Actually, Alex, Mr. Wright here is one of my good friends. We've known each other for a good number of years now," Gilbert said.

"Really? That's pretty cool," Alex said. "So, it's like I asked, why is Mr. Wright here today? I'm not supposed to come visit you again for another few days."

"I actually came out here to visit your father today. He called me about something very important. Something relating to you," Shango said.

"Something relating to me? I'm not in any kind of trouble, am I?" Alex asked as Cody moved a bit closer to Alex.

"No, of course not. It was him that reached out to me to come here in the first place," Shango said. Seeing the confused look on his young charge's face, Shango said "Your father told me about your walk you took today."

Blushing a bit as she looked down at her shoes, Alex said "I know what you're probably thinking. 'Alex has lost it. Time to ship her off to the crazy house.' Look, Mr. Wright. Whatever my dad told you...just don't worry about it. I...I was just seeing things when I was on my walk. It's no big deal."

"Actually, Alex, what your father tells me you saw...I'm pretty familiar with. What you saw, it's completely normal for people in our world," Shango said.

"Our world? Mr. Wright...what are you talking about?" Alex asked, her confusion growing as she felt more and more unwary about where this talk was going to go.

"Alexis. You may not know this...but, you're not like other kids your age. For, you see, you have an ability none of your peers have," Shango said. "You can see a whole new world of creatures and other such beings."

 **OK. So, I didn't specify up at the top about how long this is going to be. Seeing as how I ended this on a cliffy (of sorts), I'm going to say that this will more than likely be a two-shot. We'll see once I get the next part of this typed up and posted. That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this little trip down memory lane in my Running With The Pack-verse. Don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Alexis. You may not know this...but, you're not like other kids your age. For, you see, you have an ability none of your peers have," Shango said. "You can see a whole new world of creatures and other such beings."_

 **After Shango dropping this bomb on Alex, what's next to come for the adopted Hardy? Read on to find out. =)**

Hearing Shango say this had Alex feeling confused. Rubbing a hand across her forehead, Alex asked "I can see a whole new world of creatures and other stuff? Mr. Wright, what are you even talking about?"

"Alex, what Mr. Wright is saying is the truth," Gilbert tried to explain to his obviously confused daughter. Seeing the look of confusion grow on the teen's face, with the same look apparent on Cody's face, Gilbert said "How can I best put this? Have you ever noticed that it seems like there's more in the world than what you're used to seeing? Haven't you had a moment where it seems like you've seen things that you don't quite understand?"

"Not...really," Alex said, feeling a bit awkward over being put on the spot like she was now. The memory of one day in particular coming to her, Alex said "Well. There was _one_ day."

"What happened that day?" Gilbert asked.

"Well. It was one day I had tried to run away through the woods...I kept seeing these weird little bug things around me. But...I knew that they weren't bugs from the way they looked. They looked like these kinda weird little fairy things. And, whatever they were, they kept making this really scared-sounding chirping noise. Then the next thing I know I'm hearing rustling around me before I headed back to the house," Alex said, her forehead scrunched together as she recounted that day. Looking to the adults in the room, Alex asked "Does that mean something, dad?"

Taking in all of what Alex just said, Gilbert said "I believe it does."

"Really? Well, can you explain it to me, dad, because I'm feeling _really_ confused right now," Alex said, trying to stop the spinning it felt like her head was doing at the moment.

"Well, it means what Mr. Wright said. You can see a world of creatures and other such beings that not many other people can see," Gilbert said, explaining it the best possible way he could. Seeing the look of still apparent confusion and utter lostness on his daughter's face, Gilbert then said "I know it all sounds confusing, but it'll all make so much more sense once you've really truly experienced it for yourself."

"Experienced it? What do you mean?" Alex asked, feeling a bit scared at the sound of this.

"What I believe your father is trying to say, Alexis, is that we want you to walk among the creatures you can see. We want you to feel more at ease around them, in the case you ever come across any of them on your own," Shango said.

"You want me…to walk among them?" Alex asked, her apprehension beginning to grow upon hearing this.

Seeing the scared look on his adoptive daughter's face, Gilbert said "Don't be afraid, Alex. I'll be right there with you to help explain everything to you. Mr. Wright will be too. You have nothing to fear. We'll keep you safe."

"…You promise?" Alex asked.

"I promise, Alexis," Gilbert said, smiling a reassuring smile at his daughter.

Seeing this smile come from her dad, along with Mr. Wright nodding his head in confirmation of what Gilbert said, Alex said "OK. But…I'll only do this under one condition."

"Of course. What is it?" Gilbert asked.

Stepping back and taking hold of Cody's hand, Alex said "I…I want Cody to be there with me. He apparently doesn't know about a lot of this stuff either, so I think it'd only be fair if Cody could be there to learn about some of this stuff with me."

Hearing Alex make such a request had surprised Gilbert because, from what he knew, things still seemed a bit rocky between his daughter and the youngest son of one of his closest friends after the night of Cody's first shift; so, to see them standing so solidly with each other was pretty remarkable. Smiling at the picture before him, Gilbert said "I believe I can honor that."

"Really? Thanks so much, dad," Alex said, releasing her grip on Cody's hand and dashing over to give her dad a big hug.

"It's no trouble at all, Alexis," Gilbert said, returning Alex's hug. Letting go of his daughter, Gilbert said "This will all happen tomorrow in the afternoon since you don't have school. Until then, go rest up for it."

"OK," Alex said, smiling up at her father. "Thanks so much for this, dad. Thanks too, Mr. Wright." With that, Alex turned on her heel and headed out of the sitting room with Cody following along beside her.

Watching the two teenagers leave the sitting room, Gilbert said "Thanks for offering to help out with this, Shango."

"It's no trouble at all, Gilbert," Shango said, smiling at the brunette wolf. "Anything to help one of the people that saved me all those years ago."

"Think nothing of it, Shango," Gilbert said, smiling. Letting out a sigh, Gilbert then said "Tomorrow's certainly going to be an interesting day."

...

Looking out over the property that surrounded the pack house from one of the second floor balconies later that night, Alex, who was dressed in her pajamas, found her gaze drifting out from the lawn surrounding the house to the trees that bordered the house. _'And just think. Tomorrow, I finally get to see what's out there. I just wonder what's all out there,'_ Alex thought. Her silent and somewhat anticipatory meditation was soon broken when she heard the door leading out to the patio open behind her. Spinning around to see who joined her, Alex was surprised to see Cody, who was also clad in his pajamas, coming out onto the patio. "Cody. What are you doing out here?" Alex asked.

"Probably for the same reason you are. Taking a look out over the woods to try to figure out what's really all out there," Cody said, walking over to join Alex at the balcony railing.

"How is it that you don't know?" Alex asked. "Haven't you been out there killing stuff like that snake I saw you standing near earlier today?"

"Kinda sorta," Cody said. Upon seeing the slightly confused look on Alex's face, Cody said "What I mean is that...when it comes to teh stuff that's out there, everyone's always told me not to do as much as Jeff, Matt, Dustin, and the other guys do when they're out there in the woods. I'm not sure if it's because I'm one of the youngest guys here, but they always tell me not to overdo things. And, as a result, that's lead to me not really knowing much of anything about the world we live in."

"Well, then...I guess it's a good thing that we're doing this thing tomorrow," Alex said, smiling a shy smile over at the older teen. "Maybe after this, we'll both be a bit smarter about what all of this stuff really is."

"I'm sure we will. After all, since your dad and Mr. Wright are going to teach us about it, we're sure to really understand it," Cody said, smiling a reassuring smile over to the younger teen.

"I sure hope so, Cody," Alex said. And, in what many of the others would consider an adorably awkward move, Alex leaned her head on Cody's arm as she closed her eyes and thought _'Tomorrow's the big day. But...at least I have someone like Cody here with me'_ as Cody slowly brought his arm up and wrapped it around Alex's shoulders, pulling the younger teen close to him.

 **Admittedly this was shorter than I was thinking it was gonna be. I was actually planning on going right into typing up Alex and Cody's trip out into the woods, but I felt it would be best to leave that for the third part of this that I plan to have ready for posting on Halloween (since my muses abandoned me for the _actual_ Halloween one-shot I was planning on trying to have done...*looks over at part-of-the-way-finished Halloween one-shot and other possible Halloween one-shots I was planning out*). Anyway, with all of what happened this chapter, next chapter's sure to be a ride of its own. So, until Part 3 is posted, don't forget to R &R please. =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**After some delay on my part (I blame school and my work sapping my energy), here's part 3 of Seeing A Whole New World. In this part, we get some introduction to characters that are mainstays in Running With The Pack, so I hope you guys like how I bring them into the fic. Enjoy, my loves. =)**

The next day came. And with it came the day that Alex was both waiting for and fearing for: Today was the day that she was going to find out just what her dad and Mr. Wright meant by her walking among the new world of creatures she can see. While she was beyond excited that she was finally going to see and learn about what she just recently found herself being able to see, it also terrified her greatly because of the fact that she just didn't know what all was out there; after all, for all she knew, she could end up walking into a forest filled with things like that giant snake she saw Cody kill yesterday and possibly getting killed by said things in the process. But, Alex knew she couldn't live in fear of this forever as her learning about all of this seemed like something her dad wanted her to do. The only positive she could see in all of this was the fact that Cody was going to be there by her side as the slightly older teen wolf was as in the dark about just what all these creatures were as she was. _'At least I know that I finally won't be so in the dark about all of this,'_ Alex thought. _'That's got to be the best part about all of this.'_

"So, Alex. How's it feel to be going on your little date today?" a sandy blonde haired teen asked as he took a bite out of the cinnamon roll he had.

"It's not a date, Dean," Alex said, blushing as she pulled on the cuffs of her hoodie sleeves. "It's just me and Cody going out into the woods to really see what's out there. And besides, my dad and Mr. Wright are going to be with us. So, again. It's not really a date."

"Sure, it isn't, runt. Sure, it isn't," the sandy blonde, Dean, said, cutting a mischievous grin over to the younger brunette.

Seeing Alex blush a bit deeper as she bit her lip and looked down, a teen with long, wavy, dark brown hair delivered a quick punch to Dean's shoulder while another teen with long, two-toned blonde and black hair said "Pay no mind to Dean, Alex. He's just being Dean."

"I know, Seth. I just feel...weird about Dean saying that," Alex said. "I mean, Dean's making it sound like Cody and me are going on a date when I'm _kinda_ sure Cody doesn't feel...y'know...that way about me."

""That way"?" Seth asked, repeating Alex's question. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know. Like he…likes me," Alex said with a bit of a squeak in her voice. "Besides, I think the only reason why he's so nice to me is because he still feels bad about clawing me across the face."

Watching as Alex brought up a hand and touched the bandages that wound across her face, Seth shared a look with Dean and the other teen before asking "Alex…how do you know for sure that Cody doesn't feel that way about you? Haven't you noticed how nice he's been to you?"

"Well…yeah, I have. But, I only thought that was because he was just pitying me because of what he did," Alex said, biting her lip. "Why? What makes you bring this up, Seth?"

Looking over to see Seth trying to get his words right, the other dark-haired teen said "I think what Seth is trying to say that you don't have to be so critical of looking at how Cody is with you. He just wants you to feel more at ease around him after what happened. Even though he knows that it's all his fault, he just wants you to feel at ease and not so scared…so to speak."

"You really think so, Ro?" Alex asked, looking over to the older brunette. Getting a nod from him as her answer, Alex said, with realization coloring her voice, "So…Cody's been acting just like my dad and Matt and Jeff. He just wants me to feel safe here just like they all do."

"And it's not just you that we want to feel safe here, Alex," Jeff said as he, Matt, and a blonde woman came to join Alex and the other teens. "Anyone who comes through those doors, we want them to feel as safe and protected as possible."

"Jeff's right," the blonde woman said. A slight smirk starting to slide across her face, the blonde said "And, where the wolves won't be able to get the job done, don't worry. You've got people like me and Ashley and the other ladies here to keep you guys safe" as she looked over to Jeff, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Oh, really?" Jeff said, smirking over at the blonde woman. "That's some pretty big talk coming from you today, Trish."

"Hey. Just calling it like I see it," Trish said, playfully shrugging her shoulders.

Playfully gagging at the rainbow-haired wolf and the blonde, Dean said "Ugh, get a room, you two. I'm trying to eat over here."

"Well, that'll teach you for stealing cinnamon rolls after I just finish making them, Deano," Trish said, jokingly sticking her tongue out at the sandy blonde as the others around her laughed a bit. Looking over to Alex, Trish asked "So, Alex. Are you ready for your walk today?"

Hearing Trish ask this, Alex said "A bit, I am. I mean…while I'm sure that this will be a huge help to me so that I won't be too terrified of really learning about what's out there…I don't know, I'm just really scared about this. Even though I know that my dad and Mr. Wright and Cody are going to be there, this whole thing just scares me a lot", nervously plucking off a few stray bits of dust that were on her hoodie.

Hearing this hesitance coming from his adopted sister, Matt walked to Alex and rested a hand on the 13 year old's shoulder. Once Alex looked up at him, Matt said "Alexis. You don't have to be so terrified of all of this. I mean, yes. All of this is pretty new to you and I'm willing to bet it's all pretty scary too. But, that's why Papa and Mr. Wright are going to do all of this for you today. It's to help you feel as comfortable as you possibly can be around us and the world that we're all a part of. At least with this, we're just hoping that this will be what we can see as baby steps towards you really learning a thing or two about the other creatures and stuff. That's all we want for you with this."

Taking in all of what Matt just said, Alex looked from the older brunette standing in front of her to the others gathered with her to see that they were all in agreement with what Matt just said; and that was that they all just wanted Alex to feel safe and comfortable with her new family while also feeling safe and at ease with this brand new world that she found herself a part of. Alex was just really sorting this over in her head when the sound of her dad's voice snapped her out of her inner thought bubble.

"Alex, sweetheart? Are you ready?" Gilbert said as he and Cody walked up to join Alex and the others.

"As ready as I can possibly be for something like this," Alex said, putting on a brave face. "I still feel pretty crazy nervous about this, but…I think I'm ready."

Smiling at his adopted daughter's show of bravery, Gilbert said "That's the spirit. And, don't worry. It's like Mr. Wright and I told you yesterday. We're going to be there with you and Cody through all of this to make sure that the both of you are safe. You have nothing to worry about." Gesturing to the door, Gilbert asked the two teens "Shall we then?"

"Sure, Mr. Hardy," Cody said with Alex saying "I guess." With the two teens falling into step with Gilbert, the now trio made their way outside into the crisp coolness of another October day to be greeted with the sight of Mr. Wright already out in the yard with a small group of teens gathered with him.

Walking over to the other man, Gilbert said "Looks like you're earlier than expected, Shango."

"I always try my best to be prompt with things like this. I can see that Alexis and Cody are ready for this," Shango said, looking back to see the other two teens standing on the porch steps.

"Of course. I think Alex is still a bit nervous about all of this, but…we'll see how this goes," Gilbert said. Looking around Shango to see the other teens with him, Gilbert asked "Shango, if you don't mind me asking, why is there a group of teenagers with you?"

"Oh, right! I'm sorry I didn't bring this up to you yesterday, Gilbert, but I was actually planning on bringing the young witches I instruct out her for a bit of a walk of our own today. I figured maybe I could bring them along with me when I came to meet up with you, Alexis, and Cody, and from there, we could all go out there as a group," Shango said. "Plus, this could be more of an opportunity for Alexis to learn about some of the other denizens of our world aside from just the creatures."

"Hmm. I never once considered that as a possibility," Gilbert said, scratching his chin in thought. "Plus, you're right. This could be a great opportunity for Alex to meet some other teens close to her age that are supernaturally gifted themselves."

"That's my logic train behind it," Shango said, smiling at his friend. "And, besides. This really could give Alexis the chance to make more friends with others her age."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Gilbert said, smiling at the prospect of his adopted daughter making friends with her peers.

"Guess what the old adage says is true. Great minds do indeed think alike," Shango said.

"I couldn't have said it any better, my friend," Gilbert said. Turning back to the porch steps, Gilbert said "Alexis, Cody. There are some other teens here I'd like for you two to meet."

The prospect of meeting other people close to her in age was something that Alex was exactly planning on, so, to hear her dad say this had Alex's defenses go on high alert. After all, how exactly was she expected to make friends with this new group of teens when she hardly had any at school? Her breathing unconsciously starting to pick up, Alex started to breathe a bit heavily before feeling a hand grab hold of her left hand. She didn't even have to look over to know that it was Cody, but, even so, she looked anyway and was rewarded with the sight of Cody sending her a reassuring look that said "It's okay, Alex. I'm here for you. Don't be too nervous about this." Giving Cody a slight nod, Alex swallowed before turning away from the 16 year old and saying "Okay, papa" to her dad. Carefully making her way down the steps still holding onto Cody's hand, Alex walked side-by-side with Cody as the two teens made their way over to where Gilbert was standing with Shango and the other teens.

Once Alex and Cody were with him, Gilbert turned to the teens with Shango and said "OK. This is my daughter, Alexis, and this is her friend, Cody. Now, what you all should know about them is that Alexis, or Alex as we like to call her, is human, but she has a second Sight and Cody is like me and a lot of the other men here in the fact that he's a wolf like we are."

"I'm sure the group is all glad to make their acquaintance," Shango said. "Now, to introduce you two to my group here with me. Alexis, Cody, these are the members of a group of teenagers that I help teach. This is Joseann, Summer, Becky, and Finn." As Shango made each of his introductions, he gestured to each teen that was in his group and then finished his introductions by saying "Now, what it is that you two need to know about these four is that Joseann, Summer, and Becky are users of magic that they wield and possess and Finn is part demon himself."

Hearing Shango say that Finn was part demon caused an involuntary growl to rip through Cody as the teen wolf took a protective stance between himself and Alex, his claws and fangs having come out and his eyes having changed to wolf yellow. This only seemed to generate a similar reaction in Finn as the other brunette teen let out a hiss as the fingernails on his right hand grew to sharp points, red, white, and black scales covered his whole arm, his teeth grew long, and his eyes turned red.

Seeing Cody like this, Alex stepped in front of him and worriedly asked "Cody, what's wrong? What is it?!" as the auburn-haired teen named Becky stepped in front of Finn and said "Finn, Finn, please calm down!" Both girls turning to look at Gilbert and Shango, they both frantically asked "What's wrong with these two?!"

"Oh, dear. I forgot to take into account the fact that Cody and Finn's natures would be at odds with each other," Shango said. Stepping in between the teens, Shango held his hands out to his sides and, in a low voice, said a quick string of words in a strange language. This seemed to be a help as the next thing everyone knew, Cody and Finn calmed down as their more supernatural characteristics disappeared. Seeing the surprise on the faces of all of the teens, Shango said "I'm sure you all are wondering what I just did. To simply explain it, I cast a spell that would help them calm down. Don't worry, though. I didn't take their powers away; I just quelled their more animalistic sides for the time being."

"Whoa! I didn't know you could do something like that, Mr. Wright," Alex said, surprise obviously coloring her voice.

"But, of course, Alexis," Shango said, smiling at the 13 year old. "After all, it's due to my powers that I've been able to train so many fine young magic users, like Joseann, Summer, and Becky."

"That's so cool," Alex said, grinning in wonder.

"It really is," said the curly-haired brunette in Shango's group. Stepping around the older man, the brunette held her hand out and said "Like Mr. Wright just said, I'm Joseann, but you and your friend can call me JoJo."

"Nice to meet you, JoJo," Alex said, taking and shaking JoJo's hand. "Like my dad said, I'm Alexis, but you and the others can call me Alex."

Once she and Alex released their handshake, JoJo, a look of thought crossing her face, said "You've lost people close to you, haven't you, Alex?"

Blinking in surprise as she heard what JoJo just said, Alex said "Uh, actually, yes, I have. I...lost my parents four years ago. How...how'd you know that?"

"I'm...pretty intuitive. Usually, all I really have to do sometimes when it comes to me finding out bits of stuff like this is shaking a person's hand," JoJo said, a bit of a pinkish blush starting to color her cheeks. "Sorry for blurting that out, Alex."

"No, no, you don't have to apologize for that, JoJo," Alex said, trying to reassure the other brunette girl. "It's just...something that I've come to get used to. No need to apologize for this."

As the other girls and Finn joined Alex in trying to comfort and reassure JoJo with Cody offering some words of reassurance of his own, Shango and Gilbert shared knowing smiles that this was something that had to happen and was a success for it having happened as they could just tell that it seemed like some real friendships were being formed and some real bonds of trust were being built between the gathered supernaturally gifted teens.

 ***whistles* Lucky Shango was there, huh? If he wasn't, I honestly think Finn and Cody would've broken out in a battle of the supernatural beasties had Shango not been there to use his magic and get the boys to calm down. On the flip side and in more positive news, looks like Alex and Cody have taken to meeting the teens with Shango pretty well. We can only see what will happen with the group next when they finally embark on their walk in the woods (which is coming up in the next part of this...I promise!). So, until next (and possibly, last) update, don't forget to R &R please. =)**

 **(Also, this is just a little request from me. Swing by my profile if you guys would like and take a look at the poll I have up. Once you see the poll, it'll be pretty self-explanatory as to what it's for. Feel free to vote on it too, if you guys would like. =) )**


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